Through The Eyes Of The Dead
by Ai-in Ayan o3
Summary: What was it like to be a ghost haunting your grave? Being alone since, she thought it would be peaceful. Why was this person coming back then?


Through the Eyes of the Dead

* * *

Why she attracted to such a place, she herself does not know. Maybe it was the silence and solitude. Add that to the eeriness of being accompanied by the dead… it was the perfect haven for her. The tree growing near a destroyed headstone was like a beacon of peace to the jaded being. And like a moth to a flame, she floated to the tree, hiding behind its leaves. It was an hour of enjoying the serenity of the place when she felt someone entering the cemetery. She tilted her head before a confused frown ran across her pale lips.

The intruder wore a black suite topped with a fedora. On top of the hat sat a green lizard. "Hey," was the first thing that came out of the male's mouth. He was not speaking to her directly but to the crumbled tombstone in front of him. "Luce invited me to join the Arcobaleno," he related. "They started calling me Reborn."

Oh? Knowing the hitman, it took a lot of drama to sway his heart. How on earth did this Luce guy manipulated him?

Reborn smiled, sitting in front of the grave. "I will let you meet them, don't worry. You might actually like them all."

She watched as he cleaned the overgrowth. He brushed the muck that accumulated on the concrete and fixed the crumbling headstone. It took hours for everything to be presentable and yet she stayed there until the end. She had missed her partner greatly. After the accident, Reborn cut his connections with her. She could not understand why he left her for dead though.

'Reborn' took out a white rock then. He stared at it for a minute before closing his fingers around it. "I will be heading out," he then muttered. "Chaos."

She smiled. Maybe she should stay here for the time being.

* * *

The day he bought a friend was six months after the declaration. She was not expecting for him to keep such promise, actually.

Reborn was accompanied by a pregnant mushroom. She took a deep breath, jealousy clutching her inexistent heart. Reborn had been a Casanova since they met. This was the first time he actually introduced his current lover to her.

The woman with Reborn was beautiful. She was full of kindness and cheerfulness. How Reborn managed to impregnate her was a mystery. "Hello there," the woman greeted, kneeling in front of the grave.

Both Reborn and she tensed. If something happened to the unborn baby, they were not going to forgive themselves. "Luce," Reborn started.

Ah. So Luce was the name of his new lover. Well, she was the complete opposite of him. It seems that the saying 'Opposites attract' applied to them.

"Don't worry," the woman smiled before turning to the headstone. "My name is Luce, the Sky Arcobaleno." Reborn turned to walk a ways from the grave, giving the pregnant woman some privacy. "I do apologize in dragging Reborn into this mess, miss. I know you will never forgive me if something happens to your partner…"

The pregnant female muttered apologies after apologies, relating what would happen to the Arcobaleno and what might yet to come.

The person who the woman was talking to turned and flew off. She would not listen to something terrifying any longer. It was heartbreaking to see such a young person die because of a curse.

* * *

The next person Reborn dragged into the cemetery was another woman. She puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms over her chest and glared.

The blue-haired woman had scars all over her body. She had been through a lot, one could tell. She was fighter, a survivor. The look in her eyes reflected distaste. "This is where you buried her?" the spunky one demanded the male in suit. "Are you not ashamed?"

That got her attention. She knew the woman would talk smack but not to the hitman.

"Lal," the person wearing the fedora sighed. "I didn't have time to actually finish~!"

"If you so loved her, you would have hired a contractor to make this place a shrine. With all the money you have accumulated." She pouted. It was cute.

Another sigh from the male. "She doesn't want to have something like that. I don't know why."

The spitfire of a woman snorted before her eyes softened as she stared at the unnamed grave. "My name's Lal Mirch," she introduced herself. He voice was so soft that the person in the trees almost did not hear her name. "The future Rain Arcobaleno. Reborn's such a jerk sometimes."

"Hey," the said male murmured.

Lal laughed. "Anyways, you will not worry about this jerk. He'll most likely be the one killing."

She smiled. She liked Lal. Though Lal was loud and bold, it didn't matter. She listened to the woman talk. About a student who she fell for, about the idiots she was teamed up with. About everything. She didn't realize that she has fallen in the midst of Lal talking. When she woke up, it was already twilight with nobody in the vicinity. She didn't bother getting up.

* * *

Reborn was dragging a purple monster when he entered the cemetery three months after Lal visited.

Lo and behold! The monster was, in fact, a human being in a violet motorcycle outfit. "Remove your helmet, Lackey," the hitman growled.

A few mumbled threats could be heard but the purple monster complied.

She frowned. Was this another girl? No. Reborn never treated them like garbage. He was skinny and girly. There was a tear tattoo on his face; an indication that, yes, this person was in the mafia.

"My name is Skull of the Carcassa Family," the purple human declared. "I am the greatest mafia in the entire world. The youngest of the Arcobaleno, too"

She smiled. Such a naïve child.

"I am also known as an immortal!" The confidence he never had a while ago was overflowing. "Lady Luck has always been by my side." He boasted of his family and his achievements. Such a loud and boisterous boy. She had to stop herself from flying in front of the purple boy and strangle him to keep quiet.

When Skull started to talk smack, Reborn was the one who stopped him. He kicked the young man in the head and shot him on the leg. The cry of pain enveloped the place.

"I apologize for what he is doing," Reborn muttered. "He's our lackey."

* * *

Five months after Skull, she had the guts to get out of the tree to see what happened to her supposedly resting place. Nothing much actually; there were moss growing on the concrete part again. She was too occupied in staring at her own grave that she jumped in surprise when a sigh was heard.

Standing behind her was a green-haired being with glasses and wearing a lab coat. "So this is what Reborn was saying," he murmured, adjusting his glasses. "And what is the lady's name?"

She did not reply. Only moved from her spot when the male stepped forward.

He talked as if she was never there.

"I do not actually believe in ghosts. Reborn told me that you were very powerful." She watched as he got a shovel from under his coat. Where he hid the object, she does not want to know. "I will be taking a sample of your genes and maybe I could clone you. It would also give me an advantage…"

She just floated away from the grave to stand behind him. He didn't give her a second glance as he removed the moss that covered her name. He sighed when the name was scratched off. "Well, it does not matter. I will eventually know your identity, dear."

She watched as the green-haired researcher dig and mumble experiments he was going to conduct. He also talked about the experiments he had made

She grew a liking to him. Not only was this researcher a no-nonsense talk, he was explaining his research in a detailed manner that even a simple man could understand. If she ever had the chance to work with him, she was sure that he would award her handsomely for the information she has.

After an hour of listening, she gave a nod and disappeared.

* * *

Fon was the name of the person who Reborn escorted next. When they entered the site, they were both beaten and bruised. "Ni hao," the red-clad male greeted, bowing respectfully to the grave. "My name is Fon, the Storm guardian."

It was crush at first sight for her. He was handsome! There was a suspicious calm around him, as if his relaxed posture was only covering the monster within.

Reborn leaned on the tree. "The fastest of all the Arcobaleno," he added before wincing. "We should have not became serious when we practiced."

He~Fon did that? She was impressed. There were only a handful of people who could fight Reborn toe to toe. Okay, not only was he handsome, he was also powerful. And judging from the way his eyes darted everywhere, he was also keen and intelligent.

Fon only chuckled. "We need to go, Reborn-san. There are still work to do."

Sighing, the hitman got up and nodded to the silent grave. Both then stepped out.

She gave out a sigh of admiration. Maybe… just maybe…

* * *

"Luce said that the illusionist was named Viper," Reborn related. He leaned on the trunk of the tree, not bothering to look up. If he did, she might actually be seen. It was only three days after Fon visited did Reborn came back. "The best illusionist in the world, she said." There was this tone of displeasure and awe. "That guy's the most annoying of them all. He does not talk nor even interact unless forced to. He's a money-grubbing, selfish, intelligent jerk," he hissed out.

She smirked. Someone was finally getting into the hitman's nerves. It would be a great idea to up the game and let Reborn get ticked off.

It was then that he turned to the tree and glared. "I have sensed you since I first entered here, you know," he called out. "Just come here and introduce yourself, jerk."

Viper smiled, adjusting the hood and jumped down. The illusionist turned to the grave. "Viper," the hooded one murmured, sticking a hand out to shake the dead's hand. Viper held the hand out for half a minute before frowning. "Rude."

"She has tastes," the hitman snapped. "Like she would be friends with you. You might actually demand her to pay you to be your friend, selfish jerk."

The snapping of fingers were heard and a figure, a female, appeared above the grave. Reborn hissed, grabbing hold of his pistol. Viper dismissed the image being created. "Don't you dare" he threatened.

The smirk on the illusionist's face never faltered. "I hate her," Viper declared. The bullet whizzed past the illusionist's hood. "You owe me a million pounds." With that, Viper vanished.

She laughed as Reborn cursed into the night. It was refreshing to see the stoic hitman show some emotions.

* * *

It was after the curse was bestowed did Reborn visited again. He was clearly devastated but the promise he gave was still being fulfilled. With him was the student of Lal, the Rain Arcobaleno, Colonello.

The blond, judging from his stature alone was all brawns and little brains. He thought with his heart and wore it in his sleeves. It was this thinking of his that caused Lal to almost die. She hated Colonello for that.

With their current predicament, she was not in the mood to listen to whatever both males were saying. She just turned to the horizon, shutting everything around her. That was until a certain plan was stated.

"I apologize. But if I have to be in this cursed body, I need to remove my memories to endure it."

Her mind grew blank there. She went berserk.

* * *

The promised to never set foot in that place was broken after so many years. She stood in the middle of the cemetery; the place where her body was supposedly resting. The headstone was nowhere in sight, succumbing to wear and time it seems. The tree was also uprooted. She bit her lips in guilt about that. What took its place, surprisingly, was a plum tree. How the thing grew so big, she does not know. Maybe it was one of Verde's experiments again.

Why she came back? She was filled with guilt and grief in those years after the curse was bestowed. With a sigh, the being flew towards one of the branches and promptly slept. She had a few hours before anyone would even know she was missing.

She woke up when a familiar aura shattered the peace. Reborn once again entered the cemetery. He was leading a girl, the twelve-year old Sky Arcobaleno. "I'm back," he murmured. She did not listen to the story of the male for she was concentrated on the girl.

She was sweet and innocent as if she was not a child born into the mafia. Kind. The girl was cheerful, an aura of friendliness around her. It would be a shame if that pure innocence would be tainted with betrayal.

It was a glint of white did her focus turned to Reborn. She was surprised that the hitman would still hold unto that junk. In her eyes, it was nothing but a stone she found that encased part of her dying will flame.

"…save her before blacking out," Reborn related, talking to the girl. He removed the necklace and gently handed it to Aria. "When I woke up, I was in the hospital. She didn't make it. The staff gave me this, saying that this was the only thing left."

"Uncle Reborn," the child muttered, her eyes never leaving the hitman's face. Aria seems unsure at the moment. Reborn started to talk about the past with the girl.

A sigh escaped the person hiding in the trees. That was enough listening. As she was readying to get away from the two, the words from the child had her suck in breath.

"Uncle Reborn," she intervened. "She is alive. The dying will flame encased in this necklace is all Viper~no, Mammon-san's flame."


End file.
